Mercy
by ryugazaki
Summary: AU. Zelda, Dark Link — Dance with me, Princess. I'll play nice if you do. — One-sided Z/DL. Contains disturbing content and violence. One-shot.


**Before you ask me, I _have _been reading Stephen King. The most recent one I've read so far is _Misery _which very much influenced this. I'm pretty sure you can tell.**

**This is /relatively/ similar to _Matryoshka _in nature. I need to stop writing dark stuff. Seriously. The worst part? This is only a tiny one of more to come. **

**And don't worry. I'm working on part cinq (five) of _The Fox Lantern. _**

**This is a _tiny bit _out of my comfort zone, especially since it contains one-sided Zelda/Dark. Where'd that come from? :p**

**This is strictly T. If you don't want disturbing content, including shameless character torture, well...don't say I didn't warn you. **

**It's a little close to M but nothing too bad, I hope? Good news: no character death!**

**Edit: Fixed a typo spotted by the fabulous Eva! Thanks!  
**

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_Dance with me._

Screaming and clawing. Eyes glance around wildly for an escape. Fingers tremble, summoning magic. None appears. A cry rises in her throat. She can't find the strength to unleash it.

Legs nearly give way as she rises to her feet, _shakily. _Darkness surrounds her. She nearly drowns in it. There isn't a moon, no stars, no _light, _like he's taken it all too.

_I'll play nice if you do._

Her heart pumps, thuds, _screams _as she runs through the woods. Hands push away branches desperately. Scratches and scars and _blood _everywhere. Foliage hides her, but oh, it's not enough.

_What a shame._

Leaves and vines seem to twist around her like snakes, no, like his _hands_. They're dark and beckoning, but she feels the claws. She looks back for _just a moment _and she realizes her mistake second late.

The vines, thorny and sharp like daggers reach out to her and they're screaming, she can't find the strength to, and then -

_Escape? Now why would you want to do that?_

Laughter. He's laughing and it's such a gentle sound that it's more frightening than his whispers, harsh and demanding. The leaves choke her and the darkness gives way to show her a full moon. She swears she can see his smile dancing around the edges.

Fear eats her alive and for just a moment, she thinks she can reach out and -

_Silly girl._

Never in her life has she felt so _hopeless_. The hero was always there for her, soft smiles and determination, when she could not handle it on her own.

_Where is he now?_

(shut up just shut up)

Moonlight dances on his blade as he pulls it out, and it's beautiful in a bizarre, twisted way. He learns forward and she can see his smile, the open spaces and the teeth. She can see his eyes, red, so _red _and hungry.

The forest whispers to her through the fog, _run away. _Ah, but she's only a puppet now, underneath his grasp, all he needs to do is pull the strings and -

"_Don't,_" she's pleading now, and he finds it disgusting how the little creatures will scream for something as small as _life. _She's shaking and her eyes widen as he licks the surface of his blade.

"Come now," he coos, "you don't want me to break promises, do you?" He leans forward and allows her _one moment _to think that he'll set her free.

One of her pale arms, painted with bruises of the prettiest blue-black color, reaches out to strike him. He catches it carelessly and squeezes the wrist slowly. Not gently, no, not him. Never. The bones crack and she gasps, eyes snapping shut.

She's still shaking, the weak mortal creature. He sees splotches of red, like paint begin to stretch across her wrist. No words escape her mouth.

"Did I make you cry?" He reaches out and runs a hand through her hair. He watches defiance seep out of her and his hand rests at the base of her neck, _cold cold cold. _"I'm sorry, my dear, sweet princess." She freezes, and the only sounds are her ragged breaths.

_I love you, you know that?_

(go away just _go away _leave me alone please please PLEASE)

His fingers brush, freezing fire, and he squeezes her neck. Magic rips through her flesh and she bites her lip, trying _so hard so very hard _not to cry. Her blood stains his clothes but he doesn't mind, he _never does._

He takes his hand away from her neck, and she finds that she's paralyzed, frozen in the spot. Darkness clouds her vision and she finds herself wishing for somebody, _anybody._

_You're in my world now, princess. Shadows reign the night._

Both of his hands reach for the blade. Fear and pain claw their way out of her throat in the form of a sole cry. He rests the tip of his blade on her arm, and she feels the wound before it's even there.

He drags it downwards, _excruciatingly _slow. It tears through her flesh with silver, wicked teeth and crimson runs down her skin. He tilts his head for a moment, looking for a change in her expression. Her eyelids flutter weakly.

_Enjoying my handiwork? Beautiful, don't you think?_

Another, _criss cross _like a checkerboard. The laceration is deeper this time, down, down, _down _from her her shoulder to her hands. Sobbing. She's sobbing.

"Mercy, please, _please._" Her hands shake and he sees a flash of lightning. It's weak, but it's all he needs. Her magic is returning to her slowly: he knows it won't be enough, but at the same time, it _is._

"Ah, you still have magic, do you?" He ignores her plea. "We can't have that." His fingers grasp her chin roughly and he jerks her head to the side, forcing her to meet his gaze. "Do you know how a shadow feels now, precious?"

A smile lingers behind his red eyes and he presses it against her wrist, threatening to sever her hands. Her eyes widen again and she shakes, wrenching wildly like a beast in a trip.

"_Don't, don't, don't!_"

But he does, feeling an odd feeling of satisfaction as it tears easily through flesh, muscle, then bone.

She's stopped crying now, but she's shaking and whimpering like it'll make him stop. "_Mercy,_" she whispers again, and tears run down her cheeks, mixing with blood. "_Please._"

He gazes at her for a moment and almost tenderly, wipes the tears from her cheeks. But she knows better. He rises, snatching his blade. He knows night is fading and time is fleeting.

Agony shoots through her, down her wrists, and the bloodied stumps are numb with pain. It's tortuous, and she wishes he would just reach for the sword and kill her now and end it all and -

_Dance with me some other time, princess._

(mercy please OH PLEASE)

He leaves, disappearing through the trees and back into the night.

But he doesn't kill her, _he never does, _because mercy is something he doesn't have.

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**- FIN - **

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**I told you there would be no character death! *shot* See? I don't lie.. **

**Reviews are highly appreciated. I'd love to hear what you think! :D**


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